


Late Night

by Ripplebreeze



Category: Silicon Valley
Genre: Gen, Late night talks, M/M, idk what else to say, jared is a great listener
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-09-12 14:23:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9076333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ripplebreeze/pseuds/Ripplebreeze
Summary: Richard and Jared stay up taking about stuff. This isn't very romantic but I'm counting it as jarrich just in case because it can be taken as that and that's okay!





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first SV writing work and my first ao3 fic! I hope it's okay, I tried my best. This was inspired by carrot-gallery on tumblr bringing up "Jared falls asleep in Richard's arms" and I had a theory and I love this concept so much, I made a story. Thanks for reading this! I hope you like it!

It's another late night at the Hacker Hostel. This night was different from the rest, though. It was a rare night of elation, everyone seemingly on a desperate high from the won TechCrunch competition. A night everyone said "fuck it" and silenced their worries for one night.

Almost everyone. Richard Hendricks never was very good at letting go of his worries.

It's been a week since the competition, a week since they all had placed their faith in Richard and, for once, it paid off. Arguably, Richard needed this careless night the most. Ironically, he tried very hard to be carefree and maybe a little careless. Everyone else could do it easily enough. So why couldn't he? 

Richard pondered all of this as he sat on the couch, staring into space. Everyone else was asleep in their rooms, tired from the celebrations. Except, of course, Richard.

"Richard?" Richard's train of thought was interrupted by Jared Dunn, the resident sweet heart. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah...yeah, I am." Richard winced at Jared's eyebrows knitting downwards in concern.

"That doesn't sound alright. Please don't lie to me, Richard. I don't mean to pressure you, but most people feel much better after they talk about their problems to another person." Jared says, gently. "I wouldn't mind listening. It will help you, Richard. It really will."

Most nights, Richard would insist he's fine, he's just tired. But tonight is not a regular night. And besides, Jared might be right. Jared is one of the kindest human beings Richard has ever met. So maybe, just for tonight, he'll take Jared up on his offer. And, fuck it. Jared deserved to know his boss might be a fucking pussy so that he can jump ship and find a more stable job.

"I...I guess you're right." Jared's eyes light up. "Come sit with me and I'll tell you."

Jared immediately pulls up a dining room chair and sets it in front of Richard. He looks eagerly at Richard and waits for him to speak.

Richard takes a deep breath and just lets it all tumble out.

"We won TechCrunch. We've finally been given a good hand after months of struggling and nearly losing my mind. But when have we ever had lasting success? We're always given a chance, a glimmering part of what winning feels like. Then, it's ripped away from us! How long will this success last, Jared?" Richard looks at Jared, who looks upon him with concern. "Everything here happened out of pure, dumb luck. The only reason we won is because of some passing comment about how to best jerk off the judges. What will happen when trouble comes again? What if we can't make it? What if, after everything, we have a colossal fuck up that we can't fix? What do we do then? How the fuck is everyone not worried?" Richard buries his face in his hands, afraid to see Jared's reaction. Jared quietly sits next to Richard and slowly wraps his arms around him. Richard tenses but relaxes into the hug.

"Is that what you've been thinking about all week? Oh, Richard..." 

"I feel done. We haven't even really begun and I feel done. This is where I've peaked. This is the highlight of my whole fucking life." Richard sighs in his hands. "Jared, you look exhausted. Just...you should get some rest, I'll be fine."

"I'm not tired," Jared lies. He unwraps him and settles his hand on Richard's shoulder. Richard looks up from his hands at Jared. "You are the cleverest person I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. Whether you believe it or not, it's true. Without you, this would have all fallen apart." Jared smiles. "Even if you weren't clever, you're not alone. You've got a loyal team behind you ever step of the way! Erlich, Dinesh, Gilfoyle, Monica, Peter, Bighead, and I all want to support you in every way. We will all do our best and that's all we can do. And even if we don't," Richard raises an eyebrow, "we can always find something else. You're remarkable, Richard, and you've many opportunities you can choose from. Given all of this, that is why I'm not worried."

Richard thought about it. Maybe...the company wasn't everything. Sure, it is important. And they'll try their hardest. It's all they can do. But if it were to crash and burn, there are other things out there. Jared is right. As he usually is.

"Jared, I...thank you. For everything." Jared smiles with such gratitude and surprise, it makes Richard wonder if he thanks Jared enough. "But you do look tired."

"No, no, I'm not that tired, if you still want to talk!" Richard knows damn well that Jared is tired, he can recognize the signs by now. But damn it, he needs someone to talk to. Just for one night. They'll sleep in tomorrow.

"Okay. Let's talk."

And they did. About lots of things. Some mindless discussions, some thoughtful discussions. They learned about each other ("Once, my sister pushed me and I almost fell down the stairs because I stole her doll." "My foster brother once threw boiling water at me for touching his toy car on accident." "Fucking Christ, Jared.") And they learned about the others ("You ever thought about how Gilfoyle has a weird name?" "His first name is Bertram." "I see why he wants to be called Gilfoyle now.")

Eventually, Richard started to feel thoroughly exhausted from the day. And he was starting to feel guilty for forcing Jared to stay up late on his behalf. 

"Jared, lets lie down, we're both exhausted." He became a little distraught when Jared went down to the floor and laid on his back. "Jared, there's room on the couch, please don't force yourself down there." He began to panic. "Unless, you're uncomfortable with the close proximity."

"Oh...well I suppose I can squeeze up there if it's okay with you. Please, don't worry on my behalf." Jared peeled himself off of the floor and awkwardly shifted next to Richard.

"Richard, if this is too awkward, I can go on the floor. I really don't mind."

"It's okay, here just...fuck it, I've got an idea."

Richard sat up and pulled Jared over his lap. He was strangely okay with this. Fuck it, they bonded in the hours spent in conversation, social rules be damned if two men aren't allowed to cuddle for warmth. They don't have blankets for fucks sake. Besides, everyone else was asleep. It'll be okay. They won't see or judge them.

So Richard held Jared. Jared was completely okay with this. He looked a lot happier and more comfortable, Richard noted.

They talked some more. About school ("High school was the fucking worst, man." "Middle school was the hardest for me, to be honest.") And some friends ("I went to prom with Bighead because neither of us had dates." "My Algebra II teacher used to let me eat lunch in her room and we would talk." "Your best friend was your math teacher?")

"Jared?" Richard was answered by a small snore. He looked down and saw Jared fast asleep, finally. He looked peaceful and unstressed, so different from his awake self. Richard wasn't really ready to sleep so he thought about everything Jared said.

Jared was a kind, thoughtful man. A bit of a rough past...no. It was a hell of a ride for him, being passed around foster families and never quite finding home. But he was okay now, he had rushed to assure Richard. He finally had a home and people he cared about and he was valued here.

Richard felt a pang in his chest when he remembered all of the cruel jokes Dinesh and Gilfoyle had made at Jared's expense. This is the most valued Jared has ever been.

Subconsciously, Richard began to stroke Jared's soft hair. He didn't even notice until he heard a sigh of content come from Jared.

He's better now, Richard thought. He's got us. He's got me. 

Richard couldn't stay up forever. He eventually fell asleep, fingers still tangled in Jared's hair.

Early in the morning, Jared suddenly woke from a dreamless sleep. First, he was disoriented from waking up somewhere other than the garage. Then, he remembered all that had happened last night and registered Richard's fingers in his hair. 

He felt thrilled by the touch. No one had ever given this type of soft physical affection before. However, he knows Richard. He wouldn't want him here in the morning where everyone would see. This was their secret.

So Jared got up as carefully as he could to not wake Richard. He was unsure how they ended up this tangled but it felt nice.

He eventually found a blanket and placed it over Richard quietly. He stared at Richard, taking care to memorize this image of pure tranquility and calmness before the hustle bustle of the day arrives. Jared smiles as he walks to the garage and curls into his small cot to finish sleeping.


End file.
